academic adviser - a staff or faculty member appointed to assist a student in planning the student's academic career

add a course - to enter a course in which you were not enrolled at the beginning of the semester

adjunct instructor – a part-time teacher or professor, usually a person who works full time in some field and teaches one or two classes about that field

assignment - out-of-class work required by a professor, due by a specified date

assistant professor - the lowest of the three ranks of faculty members

associate professor - the second of the three ranks of faculty members

bomb a test - to do poorly on an exam

caf – short for cafeteria, the place in a residence hall where meals are provided

carrel - a small, enclosed desk, usually in a library, for people wanting some solitude while they study

comps - comprehensive examination, an examination (written, oral, or both) Master's and Ph.D. students take following completion of all the course work required for the degree

cram - to study for a test, usually the night before, in a short period of time - implies that one has not studied the material earlier and must try to condense it into a short period of time

cum - pronounced "kyoom," it refers to a person's cumulative grade point average

cut - to fail to attend a class

dissertation - a scholarly independent research study required to obtain a doctoral degree

drop a course - to withdraw from a course

drop and add - that period during the early part of an academic term when students may change their programs of studies by "dropping" and "adding" courses. Also refers to the procedure by which this is done.

ESL – English as a second language

dorm – short for dormitory

dormitory - school-owned housing, with a number rooms for one (not usually), two, or sometimes three or more students. More formally called “residence hall”

emeritus – retired, but with an honorary title such as “professor emeritus”

faculty - the people who teach in a school (at any level). Can refer to an individual teacher or to a group of teachers collectively. Does not refer to a department or a college.

final - last exam of a semester

flunk - to fail to achieve a passing grade

FSA - Foreign Student Adviser (also ISA)

fraternity - a social organization of men, sometimes living together in a large house, each with different rules, regulations, and objectives. Some fraternities are purely social; others are professional organizations or academic honorary organizations

freshman - a student in the first year of study at a college or university (or a four-year secondary school)

G.P.A. - grade point average

graduate or grad student - a student who has earned a baccalaureate and is pursuing a higher degree (In many other countries, the equivalent term is “post-graduate student.”)

Greek - member of a fraternity or a sorority

gut course - a course in which it is generally considered to be easy to receive a good grade with a minimum of effort

honor system - the practice of relying on students not to cheat in any academic matter

incomplete - a temporary mark given to a student who is doing passing work in a course but who cannot complete all the requirements for the course during the term. The student must have an acceptable reason for not being able to complete the requirements on time, and must complete the requirements within a specified period of time following the term’s end.

ISA - International Student Adviser (also FSA)

jock course - a course in which it is generally considered to be easy to receive a good grade with a minimum of effort

junior - a student in the third year of study at a college or university

major - a student's primary field of study

matriculate - to formally enroll in a college or university; to register for classes

McPaper - a paper that is done in a hurry without much research

minor - a student's secondary field of study

mid-term - test in the middle of a semester

orals - the oral examinations which a student working toward a doctor's degree must pass in order to become a "candidate" for a Ph.D. degree. It is a preliminary test of the student's knowledge in the field

paper – written assignment more than a few pages in length, usually requiring some research. More formally called a “term paper”

portfolio -a collection of samples of the work of a student (or other person) in a field requiring production of some creative work, such as a student in art, architecture, or photography

prof - a professor

professor - the third of three ranks of faculty members; also, “full professor”

quarter – an academic term at institutions on the “quarter system,” where the academic year is divided into three “quarters” plus a summer session

quiz - a short test, usually given without warning

R.A. - research assistant (see the definition) or resident assistant (see the definition)

reading list (syllabus) - a list of books and articles prepared by each professor for a specific course. Tells what readings are required and which are “suggested.” The list is designed to give the student an overview of the course

registrar - official recorder of students' academic information, such as courses taken and grades received

registration - procedure of enrolling officially in classes at the beginning of each semester or other academic term

res. hall – short for “residence hall”

research assistant – graduate student employed to assist a faculty member with research

residence hall – school-owned housing, with a number rooms for one (not usually), two, or sometimes three students. Informally called “dorms,” short for dormitory

resident assistant – student (usually undergraduate) employed by a residence hall (or “dorm”) to monitor and assist students who live in the hall

semester - one academic term, which is half of the academic year

senior - a student in the fourth year of study at a college or university

skim - to quickly read something to get a general idea of its contents

skipped, skip out - to fail to attend a class, meeting, etc.

sophomore - a student in the second year of study at a college or university

sorority - comparable to a fraternity, except that it is for females instead of males

T.A. - teaching assistant

“take a W” - withdraw from a class after the drop-date, resulting in a “W” on the transcript

teacher – generic term for a person who teaches in a college or university, used for people of any rank (graduate assistant, full professor, etc.) who teach

teaching assistant - graduate student hired to perform teaching duties

tenure – the status of holding one’s position permanently, as in a “tenured professor,” who cannot be removed from his or her post except in extreme circumstances

tenure track – a faculty position whose occupant has the potential to be granted tenure

term paper - written assignment more than a few pages in length, usually requiring some research. Informally called merely “paper”

thesis - a scholarly research paper which may be required to obtain a master's degree

town and gown – the community surrounding a higher-education institution and the educational institution itself, as in “We have good town-and-gown relations.”

transcript - official record of a student's grades and courses

trimester – an academic term representing one-third of an academic year

undergraduate - a student in the first four years of university study